1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to hearing aids. More specifically, the invention provides an advanced digital hearing aid system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital hearing aids are known in this field. These hearing aids, however, suffer from several disadvantages that are overcome by the present invention. For instance, one embodiment of the present invention includes an occlusion sub-system which compensates for the amplification of the digital hearing aid user's own voice within the ear canal. Another embodiment of the present invention includes a directional processor and a headroom expander which optimize the gain applied to the acoustical signals received by the digital hearing aid and combine the amplified signals into a directionally-sensitive response. In addition, the present invention includes other advantages over known digital hearing aids, as described below.